No Money to Cultivate Immortality?

After careful consideration, Zhang Yu finally decided to start a small company.

He sighed. “This isn’t just for myself—this is about shouldering more responsibility for Kunxu.”

“It’ll also make it easier for me to take care of folks from my hometown, give more poor people a chance to earn money, and one day help everyone get rich together…”

Pfft.

Fu Ji glanced at the halted Zhang Yu, barely holding back her laughter. “I think that’s a noble sentiment. I totally get where you’re coming from. Just… maybe save that kind of speech for when you’re giving a staff meeting, not when it’s just the two of us.”

Zhang Yu shook his head. How could a proper Kunxu Evil God like her possibly understand the breadth of his vision?

Realizing he lacked experience in starting a business, Zhang Yu reached out to Director Gao for advice.

Director Gao replied: “Yeah, you could definitely set up a small company.”

Director Gao continued: “I’ll have Tu Lishan help walk you through the process.”

Then Tu Lishan sent over a beginner’s guide to starting a business and shared a few practical tips.

Like how to cut down on salaries, how to recruit interns, how to get students to work for free, how to pull in university projects...

When Tu Lishan asked if Zhang Yu needed help finding financial or accounting resources, Zhang Yu replied, “I heard Ying Xin studied some accounting. I was thinking of letting her try it out for now.”

Tu Lishan said, “You sure take care of your classmates. That girl Ying Xin’s been wanting to get out of pure construction work for a while now. Looks like she finally caught a break with your company.”

Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. Truth was… Ying Xin was just cheap.

After all, she was a total beginner in this field. Without Zhang Yu offering her this role, she probably wouldn’t have landed a relevant job at all.

Besides, given the current scale of his new company, Zhang Yu didn’t need someone with top-level expertise. Ying Xin should be more than enough.

And more importantly…

“Fu Ji, once the company’s up and running, Ying Xin will be our accounting supervisor. That makes you our financial director. You’ll be in charge of overseeing and managing her work.”

Fu Ji looked stunned. “Huh? I have to work too?”

“What do you mean, ‘huh’?” Zhang Yu said. “You’ve been freeloading off me for years—eating my food, living in my place. I fought my way from first year of high school all the way to junior year of university and made it into the top ten academies. And you?”

“You’ve barely reached second-level Evil God, and that was with my help.”

Fu Ji muttered, “I’m not exactly built for working…”

Zhang Yu replied, “It’s a brand new company. No office needed, keeping everything simple… It’ll all be remote work.”

“You can use my Law Husk to communicate with Ying Xin. Just talk to her in my name and manage her from afar. Simple, right?”

Zhang Yu continued confidently, “You’ve boasted plenty about your massive scams back in Kunxu. You must know a lot about finance, accounting, legal loopholes, taxes, and all that stuff, right?”

Fu Ji asked, “What about salary…”

Zhang Yu said, “You don’t eat, you don’t drink, and you’ve lived here rent-free for ages. Now you’re asking for a salary?”

“Besides, the company’s just getting started. It’s the hardest phase of entrepreneurship. You really have the nerve to ask for pay?”

“And if we don’t make big money, if I can’t get into a major sect, then I’ll die—and I’ll take you down with me. So your top priority right now is to help me ascend to a sect.”

“You’re practically a founding shareholder. When have you ever seen a shareholder not contribute to the cause, Boss Fu?”

Fu Ji silently rolled her eyes and said, “Fine, fine, I’ll do it.”

Once she agreed, Zhang Yu reflected on how he’d brought Ying Xin on board and roped in Fu Ji. It dawned on him that he might be starting to think like a real boss.

“Feels like ever since I started this company, something in me has shifted.”

“Sigh… Is this what it means to grow up—taking on more responsibility?”

Meanwhile, Fu Ji thought to herself, Zhang Yu… I just taught him how to run a company and squeeze employees yesterday, and today he’s squeezing me?

He spouted corporate buzzwords like a natural. This bastard… he really internalized all the lessons I gave him.

Still, it’s not all bad.

She thought, In Kunxu, if you can’t run a company, how can you get stronger?

Build your power by focusing your own strength on key aspects, while hiring others to handle grunt work. That frees you to focus on breakthroughs.

Then you keep expanding the company, earn more money, gather more strength, hire more minions to raise efficiency, and slowly take care of finance, tax, legal, and HR matters—extracting maximum profit…

Heh. Get stronger, Zhang Yu.

The stronger you become, the better my long-term investment returns will be.

…

In the simulated battlefield—

Su Yanyang and Shi Huaiyu stirred up a storm of dust and sand, sweeping it toward the nearby students from Vajra University.

Zhang Yu was noticeably absent from this match.

No one on the team had any objections.

After all, they understood—at this point, Zhang Yu’s time was too valuable to waste on opponents at the colonel level. He needed to focus on training his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might to increase their chances in the next rounds.

Even though Su Yanyang had clashed with Zhang Yu in the past, now he too hoped that Zhang Yu would level up that Heavenly Kunlun technique as fast as possible—and lead them to victory.

“If we can hold out until Mo Shangjin returns, we might even have a shot at first place.”

Thinking this, Su Yanyang couldn’t help but look forward to Zhang Yu’s progress.

As the mudslide subsided and the dust settled, the match came to a close.

On their way out, a projection of Mo Shangjin appeared.

“Good teamwork,” he said. “All that training paid off.”

Shi Huaiyu asked, “Do we know who our next opponent is?”

Mo Shangjin nodded. “Yeah. Vajra University.”

Xiao Yunji looked surprised. “They were eliminated?”

“Defeated by Heavenly Sword University,” Mo Shangjin confirmed. “Now they’re in the losers’ bracket—and we’re facing them next.”

Xiao Yunji asked with concern, “What’s Zhang Yu’s status?”

Mo Shangjin shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

Everyone frowned at that. If Zhang Yu didn’t improve his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might enough before the next match, they might lose again to Vajra University—and get eliminated early from the Civil Engineering Intercollegiate League.

As they exited the arena, loud protests echoed outside.

Su Yanyang frowned. “What’s all that noise?”

Xiao Yunji said casually, “The local university gave students a day off this month. Some are protesting, claiming the school leaders are part of the Rest-and-Relaxation Cult.”

Su Yanyang scoffed. “They’re already colonel-level, and they still get days off? That’s regression. Studying ancient customs like holidays… I’d protest too.”

He glanced at the protesting students in the streets and thought:

Barely a handful have reached Foundation Establishment.

What’s the point of all this studying and cultivating? At best, they’ll crawl a few more steps along the Immortal Path… still gonna die sooner or later. Makes no real difference.

Thinking that way, maybe a day off isn’t so bad after all.

…

At a construction site in a canyon—

With a shift of his palm seals, Zhang Yu unleashed Locking Star Prison, one of the Ten Stances of Star-Suppressing Power.

Earthfiend gravity surged outward, forming shimmering forcefields throughout the canyon that locked the structural frameworks of several bridges in place. Then, Law Husk-operated artifacts began welding and reinforcing the supports.

This construction site was the first major project Zhang Yu had accepted under his new company—worth nearly 60 spirit coins.

Every time he thought about the income from this job, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel excited. Civil engineering really was a great major.

He’d been immersed in work on-site lately, which doubled as training.

Every time he used Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might, it triggered his practice of the Earth-Origin Technique, accelerating his progress. Before long, the Earth-Origin Technique had reached level 17.

Meanwhile, his command over the Ten Stances of Star-Suppressing Power had become more refined. These techniques were simply extensions of the Heavenly Kunlun technique, and with his mastery of the Civil Engineering Seven Absolutes, learning came quickly.

But while his strength grew fast, his savings didn’t.

Now that he wasn’t taking jobs through Director Gao’s company, no one was directly paying him.

So far, his company had only received a small advance payment. He still had to pay his workers upfront—and only after all the project phases were finalized would the bulk of the payment come in.

I’ll have to hold out a little longer.

Luckily, I’ve got nearly 70 spirit coins in the bank. Should be enough to cover things for now.

Once the first round of project payments start coming in, my earnings will skyrocket.

Running a company and taking contracts pays way better than being someone else’s employee.

Just then, a message arrived.

Lord Magneto: You’ve mastered Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might—why haven’t you contacted me even once?

Zhang Yu: Lord, you’re so busy managing everything. I didn’t want to disturb you with something so minor.

Lord Magneto: I have been busy.

Lord Magneto: But I can spare some time to see you.

Lord Magneto: Come by the Artifact Refinement Department tonight. I’ll check your condition and the effect of the Heavenly Kunlun technique.

Zhang Yu: I’ve got a lot going on at the worksite right now…

Lord Magneto: I was also hoping to talk to you about switching departments.

Lord Magneto: But if you’re too busy, we’ll do it another time.

Zhang Yu: Actually, this project is for Wanfa University. The site’s really close to University City—just a ten-minute flight. No trouble at all to come by.

…

That night.

Ye Xingli stepped out of the Artifact Refinement Department lab, her gaze falling on a familiar figure in the distance.

“Zhang Yu? What’s he doing here?”

Could it be…

She followed from afar, watching Zhang Yu head straight toward a certain familiar office.

Of course. That direction only led to the teacher’s office.

So Zhang Yu really did come to see the professor?

Not pulling overtime at the construction site, but visiting the teacher at this hour?

She frowned.

Could it be… private tutoring?

The professor thinks so highly of him… Could Zhang Yu actually be switching to the Artifact Refinement Department after his junior year?

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